The Children’s Home Society of Florida is focused on empowering children through numerous programs; the mission remains the same, but the way CHS operates looks different in the age of COVID-19.

Team members have been working remotely; CHS has not had to cancel any of its programs. In cases where employees cannot work remotely, they have PPE and implement social distancing.

According to the Children’s Home Society, one in four children will suffer abuse or neglect, and 23% of Florida’s children live in extreme poverty. One in five children suffers from a mental health challenge.

Cecka Rose Green is the Regional Executive Director for Children’s Home Society in the Big Bend; she says not having the usual physical and face to face interaction has major downsides.

Calls to the Florida Abuse hotline have dropped from about 16,000 calls per month to just 3,000 calls per month. It’s the calls they are not getting that have local advocates concerned.

“What that says to us is, not that children are more safe, but that there may be children who are falling through the cracks. So what we expect is that once we get back to whatever our new normal is, and we have more eyes on children, that those calls will then go up and we could see more children coming into foster care,” said Cecka Rose Green.

There may be a greater need for foster families after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have always needed foster parents and people to open their homes up to care for a child that comes into state custody, but I can unequivocally say that we are going to need more foster parents as we move into the other side of this pandemic,” said Green.

Green says some of the biggest needs during the pandemic are mental health and stress support services. Even during COVID-19, child welfare and child well-being never stop.

According to Green, most foster families are staying strong during the challenging time; CHS has worked with state agencies to get the necessary electronics to those children who need them for distance learning.

Children’s Home Society is a statewide nonprofit organization that began 117 years ago as an adoption agency. The organization now has 1,700 employees across the state.

In the Big Bend, CHS offers foster care, adoption services, programs for children who are victims of physical or sexual abuse, and counseling programs for families. It also offers the Early Steps program for children from birth to age 3 who are at risk of developmental disabilities.

CHS partners with Big Bend Community Care to run the Independent Living Program for children who are still in foster care at age 18 and choose to transition into the program until they reach age 23. In that program, the young adults can learn skills, be part of vocational programs, and receive tuition assistance.

You can learn about the many ways to get involved, through donations or becoming a foster parent yourself, at: chsfl.org.

Originally posted by: WCTV.tv